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- [00:01]
Hannah
I can yodel. That's a fun fact. I'll have to do that. I'll have to do that for the podcast sometime.
- [00:07]
Tina
That's bonus content.
- [00:09]
Hannah
Yeah, absolutely. People have to pay for that.
- [00:12]
Tina
I was not expecting you to say that. Cool. That's.
- [00:16]
Hannah
Do you want to give me a sample right now?
- [00:19]
Tina
Yeah.
- [00:20]
Hannah
No, I don't.
- [00:32]
Tina
Welcome to Book Talk Etc, a podcast bound to grow your tbr. I'm Tina from TBR Etc.
- [00:37]
Hannah
And I'm Hannah from Hand Picked Books.
- [00:39]
Tina
This is a conversational podcast about books and more from two Midwest Mood readers who are easily distracted by new releases. And today we are sharing our favorite books of 2025 so far.
- [00:50]
Hannah
If you enjoy listening, we'd love for you to follow us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. And if you have a quick minute, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on social media. It truly helps us connect with other book lovers.
- [01:02]
Tina
Hey everyone. It is the start of a new month so we wanted to take the time to invite you to join us on Patreon. Our Patreon Group is such a wonderful, supportive community of readers and if you've ever wanted your reading life to be more of a social experience, this is a great way to find that connection. Becoming a patron is a great way to support our podcast, to meet other readers and of course get access to exclusive Bonus content for $5 a month. You get access to two bonus episodes a month and one live event which is recorded, as well as invites to our BTE Discord server and Facebook group. You also get access to all of the bonus content we've created since we started, which is a ton and you help keep the main show ad free for July. Our bonuses will be a DNF chat where Hannah and I talk about the books we did not finish and a niche novels episode where we share specific book recommendations that are tailored to an overly specific specific sub genre. Our live event will be a bookstore browse where we'll chat with a bookseller and ask them to tell us about what makes their store so great. And our community read for July is the Compound by aisling Rowell, also GMA's book club pick for July. So if this sounds like something you are interested in, we'd love to have you head to patreon.com booktalk etc or look for the link in our show notes. Thank you so much for your support. Hey Hannah.
- [02:29]
Hannah
Hey Tina. How are you?
- [02:30]
Tina
I'm great. I love these episodes. I love a mid year check in. I love an End of the year check in. So I am ready. How are you?
- [02:39]
Hannah
I am doing great. I am loving your hair. That is honestly making, making my day today. And also it feels so good when we pick a book ahead of time and then it ends up being a book club book like GMA or Jenna. I'm just, I feel so gratified when that happens. I'm like, yes.
- [02:58]
Tina
I feel so cool. That's why we picked a good on the Cusp baby. That is your pick too. I haven't heard of it, so good job on you. I think that one's going to blow up. It's also her debut, which is really exciting for the author and I just can't wait to read. It's like a reality tv. I don't know.
- [03:15]
Hannah
Yeah, I think it'll be good to do that one too. Coming off of our last pick, which we'll talk about in a minute, King of Ashes. Because sounds like although they're, they're kind of both in the like adjacent genres of thrillery, they're both, they seem like very different vibes. One being a little bit dark and grittier and one being a little more juicy and, and propulsive and frothy. Yeah, frothier for sure.
- [03:42]
Tina
Well, I'm excited to chat about that because I literally just finished King of Ashes minutes ago. So I'm still coming off the high of having finished a book. But before we get into that, it's actually really funny that you mentioned my hair because. Because my loving lately is how I've been doing my summer hair. I thought I would share. I posted my new release Tuesday this week and I had it done like this and people were like, I love your hair. And I'm like, yes, because this is easy for me. So what it is. I basically wash my hair and then I put it into Dutch braids, which are the inside out braids. So I have one on either side of my head and then I just go to sleep breaking right. And then I wear that style typically for the next day. So the next day I have my hair in braids and then the next day after that. So this is a multi day process. But if you're someone that doesn't wash your hair every day like me, I think it's a good one. I will spray the heck out of it with a heat protectant. And then I use this ceramic three barrel curling iron from Conair and it's on Amazon. It's one of those that like kind of looks like this. I'm showing you my fingers.
- [04:43]
Hannah
It's like wavy kind of.
- [04:45]
Tina
It's like a crimper. So I just split my hair into again, use a lot of heat, protect it. And I don't get it too high or hot, but I just find that there's waves after the braids. But this makes it more uniform. Sometimes I might throw a curl in there or if I just crimp the whole thing. And that's basically it. It lasts for me for days. And it's really good for humidity. It's incredibly humid and hot where we are right now or this time of year, and so this has been perfect. My hair is naturally wavy, though, so it does help. You know, I think that helps hold, but this style makes it more uniform. I'm on day three hair right now, so I don't know. So far it's been working out really well. So we will link that curling iron I'm using. I'll also link to the heat protectant that I like. It's dry bars, hot toddy, heat protectant, which smells so good it's a little pricey. So I'll also link to another option that I love, which is from Chi. And so I'll link all of that in our show notes in case you are also somebody that has hair in the summer and you're looking for a style that's relatively low maintenance that holds up well in the heat. So my loving lately is how I've been doing my summer hair.
- [05:55]
Hannah
Oh, I love it. It looks so intentionally unintentional. It's like, you know, it like, looks done, but it also looks like you could have just woken up like that.
- [06:07]
Tina
I know. And you'll. I mean, I was going to say you'll never know, but now you know my secrets.
- [06:10]
Hannah
But now we know your secret.
- [06:12]
Tina
That and dry shampoo. You know, those are the things that I run on, basically.
- [06:18]
Hannah
Yeah. Because my. Well, my hair is kind of frizzy, but it is also a little bit crimped. I've just been taking a shower at night and putting it in a braid, like one French braid and then taking it out. Not doing anything else, though. No. Like, I mean, I'll straighten, like, some of the cowlicks in the front after the next day, but I feel like you're giving some good ideas of how to still keep it simple like that. But then maybe make it a little bit more. What's the right word? What's the right word? Like, make it more looking like you could go into the office like that for a few days.
- [06:54]
Tina
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know we're finished. Yeah, I mean, whatever.
- [06:58]
Hannah
There you go. Perfect. Well, good recommendation. My Loving Lately is a show. It's a documentary and it came out a while ago now, but Dustin and I have been trying to watch more true crime documentaries together because it's something we both really enjoy. We recently celebrated our 10 year anniversary and we were talking that evening about kind of some things that we used to do when we first started dating that we have stopped doing and that we want to pick back up on again. One of those being we used to just watch Dateline together all the time when I would go over to his house when we were first dating and I was like, well, maybe we should get back to our, our true crime roots. And he is really good at researching what to watch. And we had, we had watched a couple of kind of clunkers and so I was like, I need you to do some research. We need a winner. And so he found the Jinx, which is on HBO and it has two seasons. But I beg of you, if you are going to watch this, do not skip over to season two because you will find out like everything that you kind of end up finding out in season one. If you even look at the preview of the first episode of season two. When we had finished season one and went over to season two, I saw the little clip and I was like, oh my gosh, if I had seen that beforehand, I would have been spoiled for everything. And let me tell you, you do not want to be spoiled for this docu series. It's six episodes. It is about Rob Durst, who is the son of a multimillionaire, almost billionair man, Seymour Durst. And Seymour Durst kind of ran Wall street In the, I'd say, 60s, 70s. They were big money people in New York. Forgive me for not having, you know, all of the proper terminology, proper details, but big money people, New York, you know, 50s, 60s, 70s, this is where this guy came from. Well, some things end up happening in his life and I don't want to again spoil any of that. But like, there are some nefarious things that get looked at by law enforcement that happen in this man's life. And at first you watch the first couple episodes and you're like, I feel like we already know everything. We've already, you know, seen a court case happen. We've already kind of figured out a couple other things that happened in his life and we've built up these opinions that we think we have on what happened. And there's still three episodes left and so we'd watched the first few episodes, and I was feeling kind of mid about it. And then the last two episodes happen, and it is incredibly unexpected. It's something that even the producers of the show didn't expect to happen when they first started this project. And so it really takes everybody involved by surprise. And it made for the most fun viewing experience. I mean, Dustin and I, after we finished that last episode, were shook. And it's just the best feeling, especially I feel like when you're feeling kind of mid about it or like, oh, yeah, that was interesting. And then all of a sudden, these last two episodes happen, the finale happens, and you're just like. And it's been a week since we finished that first season. We now have started season two. And I'm still thinking about it and thinking about how smart it was done. And I just think if you haven't gotten to this yet, it was really popular when it. When it first came out. So I'm late to the game, as per usual with almost everything. But if you haven't seen this one yet and you're a true crime documentary person and you need something, like, really good and you feel like you have watched all of the good ones, give this one a shot. I think, especially if you make it to the very end, you're going to be really pleasantly surprised. And that was the jinx. It is a docu series on hbo. Max.
- [11:04]
Tina
I need to get to that asap, because if there's one thing I love, you know, I love my true crime. I usually go to podcasts for that.
- [11:11]
Hannah
Yes.
- [11:12]
Tina
But if it's a podcast or a documentary, whatever, I love when information gets out that changes the course of everything during the podcast. It's like a sort of breaking the fourth wall type thing. And I think that's so exciting when that happens.
- [11:28]
Hannah
Yes, it is very exciting. And that pretty much happens happens here. And I can't say anything else without spoiling it, you know?
- [11:36]
Tina
Right, exactly.
- [11:36]
Hannah
Like, oh, it's just one of those things where once you've experienced that high, you're like, I need everybody else to experience this because it was so smart, it was so good. And I looked up the producer after we had watched it because I was so impressed. And he's the producer of Catfish too, so he does some other kind of, like, reality TV stuff. But he seemed like a really cool guy and he did a really good.
- [12:00]
Tina
Job with this show, so I can't wait to watch it. I like knowing that there's sometimes, though, like, when things I know, I would, like, are out there. I like to hold them and not read them or watch them or listen to them because I like knowing that they're there. Is that weird? Like, I'm like, oh, you know, I have something in my back pocket to pick up someday instead of just, like, diving in. I do that with a scarcity mindset. Yeah. I, like, save it. As though there's a. A dearth of true crime podcasts. I mean, really, there's plenty.
- [12:31]
Hannah
Really? Really. I've had that thought with books before, too. And where I'll be hoarding these books that I know I want to read one day, and instead of unhauling them since they've been sitting on my shelves for years with the knowledge that I could get this again one day even from the library if I wanted to, unhauling it doesn't mean that I can't ever read it again. I'll literally have the thought. I know I'll have the thought. What if the apocalypse happened, though, and I couldn't buy books anymore?
- [12:58]
Tina
We. Right? I mean, we've got to own, right?
- [13:04]
Hannah
I'm like, I know you get it because you have those wild thoughts.
- [13:07]
Tina
Oh, I do. All the time. Oh, I know. I'm like, do I have enough food? Do I have enough water? Do I have enough. Like, I need a book that. I need a book that talks about gardening because, like, what if I can't access it? And I'm laughing because at first, you know, it feels like a frivolous thought to have. But then lately I'm like, no, but, like, actually, this is a good thing I've been collecting just in case.
- [13:28]
Hannah
Exactly. Exactly. And I'm not going to use it as kindling. No, my words.
- [13:35]
Tina
No, we are not. We are not. We will read all of these books someday. Yes, I. They. Well, speaking of books to read, I mean, you just really brought. Brought. Brought me down a little bit. But let's talk about our joint latest. Ready?
- [13:50]
Hannah
Yes. I am so excited to talk about this one.
- [13:54]
Tina
It is King of Ashes by S.A. cosby. You know, S.A. cosby is a BTE favorite author. I have loved him. I discovered him on Blacktop Wasteland. That's the first one I read. And I've been reading his books in order ever since. The only one I have not read is his debut, which is my Darkest Prayer. But speaking of books that we have, it's over there behind me. I just looked at it right before we started recording, because I was like, I want to make sure I still own it.
- [14:20]
Hannah
Don't save it for the apocalypse.
- [14:22]
Tina
Exactly. Sometime soon, question mark. I don't know. But I will tell you first what this is about, and then we can share what we thought about it. This one is about Roman Carruthers, who is a oldest brother. He's got a younger brother and younger sister, and he gets summoned home after his father's car accident. And when he gets there, he finds that his youngest brother, Dante, is in debt to a dangerous criminal and that his sister, Nevaeh, is exhausted from holding the family business together. And you find out the business that they own is a crematorium. They are in what the author describes as a rundown central Virginia town of Jefferson Run. And it's not uncommon for them to be very familiar with death. They see it every day in the business that they're in. But mortality draws even closer when it becomes clear that the crash that landed their father in a coma was no accident and that Dante's recklessness has placed them all in real danger. Roman is this financial whiz. He is living his life in Atlanta. He's living the high life, and he. His big talent is making his clients rich, and he's a money manager, an advisor. And then, you know, through that job, he also gets rich himself. So he does have money to help bail his brother out. But the people that he got involved with are real gangsters, if you will, and something really bad happens. And so Roman realizes that they are an actual real danger, that money, typical money, might not get them out of. And so he is going to use his skill set as a money manager to try and save his brother, save his sister and the family business. And that while all of that's going on, you also find out that their family, the Carruthers family, sort of admired in this scandal because their mom disappeared years ago, and everybody is very suspicious as to what happened to her. So you've got these two coinciding stories going on, and the last sentence says, everything burns. So I know you just finished this as well.
- [16:34]
Hannah
Yes.
- [16:35]
Tina
What do you think?
- [16:38]
Hannah
I'm so glad that we both, like, just finished this, too, in the last couple of days. I mean, you just came off of this one. I ended up really, really liking this one. And I'm so glad, because I would say the first three quarters of it, I was liking it. I was enjoying it.
- [16:54]
Tina
Yeah.
- [16:54]
Hannah
But I was also like, you know, this is definitely. It's fine. It's fine. And then the last quarter happened, and it made the book for me. And as you know, that is almost Never the case for me with books like this specifically. Although this isn't a thriller. I mean, is it a thriller? Would you just put it in the thriller camp?
- [17:16]
Tina
I. You know, I'm very particular with definitions. I call this crime noir. So it's. Okay, a crime novel.
- [17:23]
Hannah
How specific that is dark.
- [17:24]
Tina
It's Southern crime noir, if you want to be very specific. I don't know that I didn't make that up, but I think that's what I've heard him describe it as. I've seen him talk before two years ago when his previous book came out, and fascinating to hear about his process, but that's what I would categorize this as. But not a thriller.
- [17:44]
Hannah
Yeah, good to know, because this definitely felt different to me. And it wasn't like that crazy popcorn. You know, you get your twist in the first, third, your twist in the last half kind of a thing. This was a slow burn, pun intended. And I ended up really loving it. I obviously can't talk about what happened at the end, but one of the things that I was feeling frustrated about throughout the book, there was kind of this one thread that kept getting woven in throughout the story that I was like, this feels like the book is trying to do too much. I don't know why this thread keeps getting brought in, because it felt so jarring almost. I was like, no, I want to get back to the story that we were just talking about. And then at the end, you're like, okay, okay, Cosby, fine. You did that really well. Yeah, I see what you were doing. And it was intentional, and it was really smart.
- [18:39]
Tina
So are you talking about. I don't think this is a spoiler to ask. There's the big thing that's happening, right? Is that the brother is in bad with these criminals, and then also that their mom disappeared. It's those two concurring, concurrent stories, concurring storylines.
- [18:54]
Hannah
And one of them felt a little bit irrelevant. And it's not.
- [18:59]
Tina
Yeah, it's not. And I sort of am used to this author, his writing style, and I knew. I was like, okay, I could totally get that, because it does take you out a little bit, because you're actually. He pulls you back for a few pages into 2004, whatever it was. And so you're like, why am I here? You know? And it does take you out a little bit. But I actually liked that because I was feeling frustrated by one of the characters in this. I was feeling frustrated by the brother, frankly. We know that from the synopsis. I'm like, you know, he was really making me angry in certain sections. But then when I would get the flashback, I felt very sympathetic toward him. And so I liked that. So just know that they do come together. That was my question too. I'm like, I don't know that this is going to come together. I didn't find this a slow burn for me. But I'm also really, really patient because I knew that I was in good hands. I'm like, just tell me the story. I think where SA Cosby shines is his characterization. Because he's telling you this effed up story. I mean, this is. I think this is really dark. I know you didn't think it was as violent as a lot of people did. And I have to. I'm like, hannah. Well, I didn't.
- [20:11]
Hannah
Okay. I was getting caught up on the.
- [20:13]
Tina
I didn't.
- [20:14]
Hannah
I think I was getting caught up in the semantics of. I would say that this was a very disturbing and dark book. I would not say that it was graphic. I kept hearing people say that it was graph. But to me, interesting. A lot of the stuff that was happening was you would hear about this violent thing that happened. There was one scene that was definitely like, okay, yeah, that person just had this happening. But again, you weren't with the person in it. The narrative was not describing. And then the fire was doing X, Y and Z. And you could hear the, you know.
- [20:47]
Tina
Like, it wasn't a visceral writing that is in the moment of when the violence is happening. It's more of, you know, what happened to them. And they're like, yeah, this messed up.
- [20:56]
Hannah
Which if you're. Which if you're familiar or know anything that happens with, you know, like gangsters and that world and the underbelly of that world, you know, some really messed up stuff happens. And we kind of hear about that stuff passively. So it'll be like, this happens to this person, and if you don't pay up, that's gonna happen.
- [21:21]
Tina
It's gonna happen to you.
- [21:23]
Hannah
And so I would agree this book's content was really dark. I would not necessarily call it overly graphic, which I actually think SA Cosby does really well. He can give these dark and disturbing ideas without it being gratuitous. And I think that that takes a really good writer.
- [21:41]
Tina
That's what I was just going to say. I had a tangent there. But yes, I don't think it was gratuitous. It would have felt very inauthentic. Again, we're dealing with gangsters. If it was like oh, and he slapped me across the face like, you know what I'm saying? Like, you have to go to a certain level of darkness when you're dealing with that type of, like, it's a crime novel, right? It's. We know that is going into it and we know the type of people, but it's not horror. No. What I think Essay Cosby does so well, and he said this the last time we saw him when we were at the talk, is his characterization. Because he said that when he creates characters, he wants to know. So Roman Carruthers, he wants to know his likes, his dislikes, what he ate for breakfast, his fears, the. His favorite color. He comes up with all of those things, this entire backstory for every character he has, even if he's not going to use it just because it, like, makes this world more rich. And I feel like you can totally see that with this. The three siblings were very different, but I feel like I got a sense for them. There were also some side characters that I wanted would have loved to have known more about, but that would have made it way too long of a book. But for me, I just think, gosh, who you know, I love a character driven book. I especially love when you can get a character driven story with a ton of plot in this genre. That's like my absolute favorite, which is why I think this author works so well for me.
- [23:02]
Hannah
Yeah, I agree. I think that this. Well, I've only read two books by this author, all the Sinners Bleed, and this one really, really liked both, loved both. And I think I agree, something that he does really well is he appeals to character driven readers and he appeals to plot driven readers because his books are. Are 100% both without being 600 pages long.
- [23:22]
Tina
Yeah. What a snow.
- [23:24]
Hannah
I don't know how he does it. I think that you mentioning how he creates these characters, though, has to help immensely because if you think about them as real people that, you know, you know what they like, what they don't like, you know, how like their family, you know, their family, their family drama, their whatever, then I could, like, I think about my closest friends, I could probably tell you how they would respond and react in a certain situation, because I know all of these things, even though all of those things don't pertain to the context of what's happening. And so it probably just helps really humanize the characters. And I feel like you could 100% tell in this book that he just loves his characters and gives them so much thought.
- [24:06]
Tina
He does. And he gives them these real human moments. Like, even the siblings, you know, there's tension, of course, but then they would have this silly moment over a breakfast cereal or whatever it is, and I'm just like, oh, he just does a really good job. Anyway, I highly recommend this book in case it wasn't abundantly clear. I think it was fantastic. I think this is my second favorite of his. I don't know that anything will ever top Razor Blade tears, but for me, I liked this even more than all the Sinners Bleed. I think I did too. I'm also having recency bias, so, you know, check with me later on. But I loved it and I think this is a worthy book to add to your tbr. Do you have anything else to wrap up with for this one?
- [24:41]
Hannah
Cosign that. I highly recommend it.
- [24:43]
Tina
Yay. Good. Okay. Well, that was King of Ashes by S.A. cosby. Just a BTE author. A BTE author that we both love. Maybe that would be a fun episode where we just basically share our authors, we co sign and share our favorites. Because I feel like there's a fair amount of overlap that we have.
- [25:02]
Hannah
How fun.
- [25:03]
Tina
Or that can be a really fun book talk. After Dark episode because those are our bonus episodes where we sort of, you know, it's after dark, we might have a cocktail and then we just really get into some juicy bookish conversation. But that's put that in our. Put that in our back pocket. For today, though, we are talking about our favorite books of 2025 so far. And before we dive into the book list, we wanted to share some, I don't know, statistics where we're at, how we're feeling so far in our reading life, and some book superlatives. I can't either. And I love taking this assessment. Not because I'm like, oh, how, you know, how well am I doing so far this year? Or whatever. Like, that's not really. We were talking before we got on Mike. I don't. I'm not super motivated by, like, oh, I'm behind or oh, I'm ahead. I'm like, yeah, you know, here's where I'm at. I am ahead by a lot. Though I will say, this year I've been reading a ton, like, more so than ever. And I'm good with that. If it ever gets to the point where I'm like, I need. If I'm feeling burnt out, like, I will adjust. But for now I'm like riding the wave. Because when I get on a roll, that's when I'm happy as When I'm like finishing a ton of books because it just makes me happy. So far I've read. This is a very silly amount of books to have read. It's 78 books. I've read 78 books so far this year. Yeah. So that's a lot. And not typical for anybody listening seem hesitant about that.
- [26:27]
Hannah
Why are they hesitant? It's a great.
- [26:29]
Tina
It's great because people will judge. And I see so much discourse online that folks are like, people aren't retaining the books they read. They're just reading them for statistics. And like, that could not be further from the truth for me. And I think our listeners know me by now. My goodness. We've been doing this forever. You know that I'm not just like skim reading books. I also hate that discourse because I'm like, why do you need to retain everything? There's not a quiz at the end. Are you enjoying it? Are you having a good time? It's not hurting anybody. If you're not shaming anyone else for their number, then what's the harm? But I could go on and on. But you're right.
- [27:03]
Hannah
Convo for a different time. Agreed.
- [27:06]
Tina
Another book talk after dark conversation we need to have. But so far it's 78 and I'll shut up. How have you been doing?
- [27:13]
Hannah
I'm doing great. I'm right on track. My goal is to read 100 books this year and I have read 47. And we're a few days away from the exact halfway point of our reading year.
- [27:24]
Tina
That's really satisfying.
- [27:25]
Hannah
Reading year. Yes. So I'm super happy with that. Tina and I were talking a little bit before we hit record about kind of how we feel in terms of motivation with seeing the you're one book ahead or you're one book behind. And I like to know because I'm curious. And Tina, I think you mentioned you were the same way. But if I see I'm one book ahead or one book behind, I'm still just going to read how I would normally read.
- [27:54]
Tina
Yeah.
- [27:55]
Hannah
And it's pleasant to see. Oh, well, this seems like it's actually my reading pace because if my goal is to read a hundred and I'm right now right on track. Sounds like my goal is sitting exactly where it should be, where you want it to be. That's my reading pace right now. So I'm super happy with that.
- [28:11]
Tina
Good. I'm happy with that. For you. I am. I bumped my reading goal up to 150. I've only done that once before. But I'm really close. Like I'm on page. I have. I'm ahead by five books with a goal of 150. So I'm like, you know what, we'll keep it moving. Now I could bump it back down to one. I think it was 125 before this. But I also, it was like, gosh, I'm. It was like, you're ahead by 10 books. I'm like, let me just change this, this goal. You know what I mean? That's how I work. I'm still ahead by five content wise, I should say quality wise of the books that I've been reading. I've just been in a thriller, mystery, suspense hole. I can't get away from it. I think that'll peter down with the summer and we'll talk about things I want to change with the rest of the reading year. But so far I've really been enjoying it. Now there are some that I think I'm like, that's a forgettable book. Am I still happy I read it? Sure. But I've been having a really good time. I feel like I don't want to spoil it, but in my brain, 2016 was like the best reading year I had. I read so many bangers and nothing has ever topped that except this year. I feel like it's really coming close to that experience and I wonder when I walk away if I'm going to be like, wow, that is this year is now my best reading year ever. Because it's feeling that way.
- [29:26]
Hannah
Is that because of how many good books you have been picking up?
- [29:30]
Tina
That's awesome.
- [29:30]
Hannah
That's such a good feeling.
- [29:31]
Tina
There just been so many good ones. I could have done an easy top 10 books for the year so far.
- [29:37]
Hannah
Yeah, okay, I've haven't, but I haven't had a bad. I haven't had a bad reading year, but I think the first couple of months I was maybe just figuring out what I wanted to read or what mood I was in. I will say that the last couple of months I have read most of my five stars in the last couple of months and it has made me really kind of look at my reading life and what I want moving forward. Before we get into that though, I want to know what your you said you've been really into thrillers. Are there any other top genres that you have been leaning into that you either want to continue or pull back on?
- [30:19]
Tina
My top three were thriller, literary, and mystery. So for me though, I would say I would love to read more literary books that is the gap this year so far I've read a ton of really good horror, a ton of good thrillers, suspense, what have you. But my, I've even read a fair amount of like, YA because I did the Hunger Games series. And I've read some weird books that like, you're into dystopian. But I think I want to find some more straight laced literary fiction. I have not read very much literary fiction at all and I really like it. So I want to work on that in the second half. What about you? Any themes popping up?
- [31:01]
Hannah
Yeah. So fantasy and horror have crawled their way up on my genre list that the storygraph provides. Now it says that literary is my top genre. I think that it's because storygraph counts like sub genres. If it's been tagged as literary. Even if it's a horror novel, it'll slot it under that. But I haven't read, similar to you, any straight laced literary fiction. Not any, But I haven't read as much as I typically do. And I really want to prioritize that in the latter half of the year because I have so many on my actual physical TBR that some of them have been on there for a really long time. And I also want to continue to up the ante on historical fiction. That's something I've been intentional about this year. And they've been, as you will soon see, some of my top books of the year. So those are kind of some genre goals that I have moving forward.
- [31:59]
Tina
And I think earlier when I said it's been my best reading year, that is true. But also what I specifically mean by that is it's been the best new release reading year I've had, I think, ever, because I've read so many 2025 releases. It's almost primarily 2025 releases. I haven't like dug in and looked at the data like how many backlists I've read, but I can tell you it's been very few. So I do think I would like to prioritize a few more backlist bangers that have been sticking around that I've had on my TBR for a while. Kind of looking into that and grabbing those and finally crossing them off my list. But. But I also went like, you know what, just lean in if you're having a good time. Like, keep the flow going. Like, oh, you know what? I'm like interrupting myself. I've really loved making my TBR for the month. I started that, what, in May?
- [32:49]
Hannah
Yeah.
- [32:49]
Tina
And stuck with it so well. And it went Super. Well, I did it in June and it's going really well again. So I'm going to do the same thing for July. Put something like 15 books on the list and then if I don't make them all, fine, but have a little flexibility here and there. But that's really been working for me because that number is big enough to where I can cross a lot out, but small enough to where I don't feel daunted. And also I like that I can then sit down and say, okay, I know I have to read this for book club. One, this for book club. Two, this for our book club. You know what I'm saying? I can like map out a tvr. How revolutionary. You know, what people have doing have been doing for ages. And I'm finally coming around to seeing the benefit of having more of a structured tbr.
- [33:30]
Hannah
And. But that also allows for mood reading because if you put that many books on your tbr.
- [33:35]
Tina
Yes, exactly.
- [33:36]
Hannah
Know that you have to read King of Ashes at some point this month. But if you, you don't want to on, you know, June 15th or if you do, even though we don't have book club until the end of the month, with how fast we crank out books, it's not like, oh, I'm in the mood for this. I'm going to take two weeks to read it. It's like, no, I'm in the mood for this right now. I'm going to pick it up and probably finish it tomorrow.
- [33:55]
Tina
Exactly.
- [33:56]
Hannah
And then tomorrow I might be in a different mood. So I do feel like with how much you read, a TBR still allows for some mood reading because you have so many options. Kind of pick from a wide array from your list.
- [34:10]
Tina
Exactly. Well, what other. Do you have any other general high level thoughts about your reading here?
- [34:18]
Hannah
No, I think I talked about kind of the big things and I don't think I have any other big goals that I want to try to achieve for the rest of the year. Goals don't work very well for me. So if they're not super general, then they're just not. They're just for me. So yeah, I want to lean into more literary fiction. Probably read more romantasy and historical fiction. Other than that, I'm super happy with my reading pace and you know, keep on keeping onward.
- [34:49]
Tina
If it's not broke, don't fix it.
- [34:51]
Hannah
Exactly.
- [34:52]
Tina
So I thought we would also share a couple. So our list today we're sharing five books that so far are. Are in our top ten or top five for the year. And there were so many good ones that I had to leave off of this list because obviously five is a captive number. But I wanted to share a few that almost made it, including a couple that I haven't yet shared on the podcast, but I will at some point. One of them I read early. It's Red Clay by Charles B. Fancher. This one is historical fiction. I loved this book. I want more people to read this book. It's really, really under the radar. But if you're a historical fiction fan and you like books in the vein of homegoing, definitely pick that one up.
- [35:34]
Hannah
Yes, I had a few almost made its. And one of them is Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson. And then the one that I toiled with the most was the War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. This was a middle grade historical fiction and I literally kept taking it off and putting it back and swapping it with, with my number five. So who knows, maybe it'll make it my top 10 because I'll feel differently that day. But it. It's pretty much on my list. Didn't quite make it.
- [36:04]
Tina
No. I feel you there. All right, then I have two more that almost made it. One is a thriller. It's Tell Me what yout did by Carter Wilson. I had such a fun time with this book. It's a ripper. I learned that term from this book because it's really short pages.
- [36:18]
Hannah
Can you tell me what that means? A ripper? Oh, you like rip through it.
- [36:20]
Tina
You're. You're so into this book, you're like basically ripping the pages. You're flipping them so fast. And that's what he defines it as in this book, and I love that. So this one was really, really good for me. There's a true crime podcast tie in. And then the other one I haven't fully shared on the podcast yet, but you'll hear about it eventually. But I'm holding When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy. I was so skeptics at first. When I first started this book, I'm like, what am I reading? And again, another author I can just sink in. I recognize her writing style and I should have just trusted in it. This was fantastic. I loved it. Great horror novel. You'll hear more about it at some point.
- [36:55]
Hannah
And a unique premise too.
- [36:57]
Tina
Yes.
- [36:58]
Hannah
I mean, it sounds like it's a pretty original story.
- [37:01]
Tina
I thought it wasn't going to. I thought it was going to be, oh, A Girl and a Boy on the Run. And that's sort of what you get. But you get a lot more. Anyway. Loved it.
- [37:11]
Hannah
Okay, what was your biggest surprise this year?
- [37:15]
Tina
You know, the Nat Cassidy one should have actually probably gone under biggest surprise, because I was super surprised by it. But one that I chose instead was audition by Katie Kitamura. Because. And I don't know if it was a good surprise, but it was the book where in part two, I was like. And it was almost like, am I reading a different book? Like, have I messed up? You know, did I download something incorrectly? That one was just such a surprise in a way that I'm, like, still scratching my head about. But it was a. It. It got me out of a reading slump. I remember I was a little bit of in a reading slump at that time, and I grabbed this. I got into it really quick, and I walked away like. But I did read it, I think, over the course of a day. So big discussion. This one's very discussable.
- [37:59]
Hannah
Yeah. When I was trying to pick my biggest surprise, I had the same thought where I was like, is this a pleasant surprise or is it like a WTF surprise? So I guess it's one of those questions that can be a little bit subjective in how you take it. I ended up going the positive route, and I chose the Secret History of the Rape, A True Crime story by Pagan Kennedy. This is actually, I think, the first book that I read this year that I read, like, the first week of January. And the reason why I put it on my biggest surprise is because this was really a book that I didn't have on my radar at all. It wasn't a topic that I was, like, really eager to read about because I feel like when I hear stories that have a very heavy science topic or a really broad social or political topic, it's not something that I am like, I want to read a whole book about that. And it's something that I'll listen to a podcast about or get online and Google, but not necessarily read a book about that topic. And I liked that. This one made me realize that maybe some of these subject matters that I wouldn't normally pick up could be books that really work for me. Because this was like a four, four and a half star read for me. I really liked it. So, yeah, it made me want to pick up more nonfiction. Have I this year? No. But I really want to. I really want to.
- [39:33]
Tina
And that's okay. We can want and not do. You know, we're only human. We're only human. Right. Of course. I would also like to read more nonfiction. I haven't read a ton of. I was trying to read one a month. But yeah, you know, we get sidetracked as we do. What about biggest disappointment?
- [39:49]
Hannah
My biggest disappointment was actually one that I didn't even have to look at my reading list for. And that is say youy'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez. She is an author I look forward to every year. And I like actively, I feel like I was trying to be really positive when we were talking about it, even during book club and when I reviewed it. And now that I've had some time to sit with it, I'm just kind of like. I think I actively didn't like this one. And that was so disappointing.
- [40:17]
Tina
I know. I too felt that same way. Although it got me by the end I was like finally warmed up to it. But no, that was not my favorite either. My biggest disappointment was another book club book that we read for my in person book club. The Float Test by Lynn Stiegerstrong. I just, I thought it was going to be sibling drama, rich people, problem story. It was kind of that, but I really disliked it.
- [40:45]
Hannah
That is such a bummer. I remember hearing you talk about that one. And it's always a bummer too when.
- [40:50]
Tina
It'S a book club pick, right? And it was kind of. Yeah, it was interesting to discuss. My book club by and large felt the same way. And it's okay to like not have five star reads because sometimes books that you didn't love, you can have more to say about it. But I was like, this was not, not fun. I kind of Wish I had DNF'd it, frankly.
- [41:07]
Hannah
But okay. What is the best audiobook that you have listened to this year?
- [41:12]
Tina
Wow. There was no question. The best audiobook I've listened to this year so far is the favorites by Lane Fargo. Fool's cast narration. It's got Johnny Weir as one of the narrators who is an ice skater himself. My God, I forgot how dense this dang book is. Oh my God, is it long? She's the Hicks. 430 pages. But as you can see, I'm showing it now on camera. It's got a lot of dialogue like this and a lot of like interviews. And so it just. Oh my God, was it fantastic to listen to on audio? In fact, I have an arc of this or I'm holding an arc of it. And I waited until I could get my hands on the audio because I took a look at those narrators and I was like, no, I mean, obviously I'm going to want to Listen to this. It was great.
- [41:55]
Hannah
Oh, I love an audiobook like that. I actually feel like I haven't listened to a ton of audiobooks that have really stood out to me. Like, this must be consumed via audio. I also have listened to more audiobooks this year than I have ever in any year. And so I do wonder if it's not just. I'm very used to listening to audiobooks now, but I do think that Wild Dark shore by Charlotte McConaughey was a really good audiobook, and that was the one that I remembered the most. Being Stand out.
- [42:28]
Tina
Yeah.
- [42:29]
Hannah
Enough to put it on this list. It also has a full cast, I want to say, and I felt like all of the narrators were ones that I really enjoyed listening to, so that is what I put on my list for best audiobook.
- [42:42]
Tina
I did not know I didn't do the audio for that one because I read it before the audio came out, but you're correct. Oh, yeah. It is a full cast narration, and it has one of my favorite narrators, and it's Saskia Marleveld. So, yes, that was fantastic.
- [42:58]
Hannah
She did such a good job. And I'm really particular with male narrators, and there was a male narrator for this one, and I thought that he did an excellent job. He had, like, a really rich, deep voice, and it was very pleasant to listen to.
- [43:10]
Tina
Speaking of male narrators, this is a non sequitur. Did you listen to King of Ashes at all?
- [43:16]
Hannah
Yes, I did listen to it.
- [43:17]
Tina
Oh, do you like Adam Lazari White?
- [43:19]
Hannah
I do.
- [43:19]
Tina
Oh, he's so good. He's so fun.
- [43:21]
Hannah
He's very good.
- [43:21]
Tina
He, like, brings SA Cosby's books to life. He narrates all of them. Anyway, I had to give that a quick shout out.
- [43:27]
Hannah
Yes. Very deep, rich voice that has just enough, like, inflection and tone without being overly dramatized, because I don't like that either.
- [43:38]
Tina
Yes. Yes. Oh, my gosh. That's like, a good call out that I'm. I don't know that I realize that. I don't like. I don't like when they're too, like, dramatic, but you can actually draw it. It's a real skill anyway.
- [43:51]
Hannah
It is a real skill. It's like. Like, voice acting is a. I mean.
- [43:54]
Tina
It'S like it's a profession, and not everybody can do it. How crazy.
- [43:57]
Hannah
I know.
- [43:58]
Tina
Last Superlative we will end with is most original. And for me, it is We Live Here now by Sarah Pinborough. This is a book. Listen to me. You're gonna either love it like I did or want to throw it against a wall, and I cannot tell you which it is. So if you read this on my recommendation, don't say I didn't warn you. I just love the ending. This book stuck with me. It is so silly, stupid fun. I just. I loved it. I really did. And I just keep thinking about the ending and, like, what would happen if that really happened. And it gives me a smile every time. So that gets my most original vote.
- [44:31]
Hannah
My most original was actually hard to come up with. So I have two that I won't go into detail about that are kind of like add ons. But my number one is the names by Florence Knapp that had just the most original premise that I have read this year. And I'm going to talk about that one more in a minute. So that's all I'll say for now. But then my two add ons were Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson. Just a really fun, creative story. And then the River Has Roots by Amal El Matar. That was a novella fantasy love story. I don't even know all what it was about, but it was very. It was very unique. You know, it's just one of those like, like, fairy tale, fever dream kind of books that you're just like, I don't know what I just read, but it was beautiful. And so I felt like that had to go on. Most original for me.
- [45:24]
Tina
Okay. I'm so excited. I have all mine in front of me. Top five so far. Okay, so I. I stacked these wrong. They're in the wrong order. Hold on.
- [45:38]
Hannah
Wrong order.
- [45:40]
Tina
All right, I will begin. And I too, brought a book that was in my superlatives. I'm bringing the favorites as my number five favorite so far by Lane Fargo. This one was really good. I read this as an arc sort of before anyone else. Humble brag, but I know this one picked up a lot and a lot of people, actually. All of my books, frankly, are buzzy. Like, I don't have a single under the radar pick here, which, you know, I am who I am. I just loved the story of these two ice dancers. I loved the drama. I loved the pageantry. And again, the audio, I think really, really brings it to life. But I love this story. I was just. I ate it up. I loved it all.
- [46:21]
Hannah
Which is saying something for a long book.
- [46:23]
Tina
Saying something for a long book. And I read this in the depths of winter, and it just really kept me company very well. So this one's a favorites by Lane Fargo.
- [46:32]
Hannah
Oh, I'm So happy that that made it to your favorites especially too, because you read it at the beginning of the year. It's always so fun when a book that we read while ago has remained solid.
- [46:42]
Tina
And I had it in our winter reading guide as one of the books that I read early and recommend it to our patrons. So anyway, I was very proud of that one. Okay.
- [46:52]
Hannah
I love it. My first one is Sandwich by Kathryn Newman. This story follows a matriarch on a multi generational vacation and she's really just ruminating on her life and how she got here. I thought that it was great that we were following a main character in that sand. Which generation? Because it really is such a unique phase of life that I haven't entered yet, but I know takes a lot of emotional strength to get through. And I also read this one when my dad had had a medical scare. He was in the hospital getting heart surgery. You know, my siblings had come into town and so I was with my family and was having my own kind of vulnerable family moment happening while I was reading this book. And so I think I would have given this book five plus stars regardless. But reading it during that time made it an actual core memory of my reading life, which I think bumped it up even more. And that was Sandwich by Kathryn Newman.
- [47:58]
Tina
Are you ever gonna be in the sandwich generation because you have such. Your siblings are older than you?
- [48:03]
Hannah
That is such a good call out. Because, like, they will be in the sandwich generation.
- [48:08]
Tina
Yeah.
- [48:09]
Hannah
But because I'm a younger sibling and have four older siblings who will be older than me. However, it's really just my brother and I, who. No, my brother. I have two older siblings who live in state close to my parents. Also because my two oldest siblings live out of state.
- [48:29]
Tina
Oh.
- [48:30]
Hannah
So while they are the oldest siblings, they're not near my parents.
- [48:35]
Tina
That makes sense.
- [48:36]
Hannah
You know, they probably won't be as involved, but I'm making a huge assumption there, so.
- [48:42]
Tina
Right. No, exactly. No. Sorry to like throw that as a complete non sequitur because I was just thinking about it and I'm an only child, so I have like almost the opposite feeling.
- [48:52]
Hannah
It's gonna be you.
- [48:52]
Tina
It's gonna be me. Yeah.
- [48:54]
Hannah
Luckily I it's gonna be you, my.
- [48:55]
Tina
Husband, to help me out.
- [48:56]
Hannah
But yeah.
- [48:57]
Tina
Anyway, I do need to read that book at some point very soon.
- [49:01]
Hannah
It's a short one.
- [49:02]
Tina
Yes. Which I'll breeze through it. Add it to the 150, baby. Okay. So my next book is Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I love this book. I loved it this is one you're going to want to read, I'm sure by the end of the year.
- [49:15]
Hannah
I know I'm going to try to. I literally have a goal to get ahead so you can read it so that I can just slip it in.
- [49:21]
Tina
This one is just Vibes. Now, I want to be clear. It's called Atmosphere, A love Story. So if you say you didn't like it because there was not enough science, that's okay. That's your A fair opinion. But know that there is a love story to this as well, and that is the story she's telling. She's not necessarily telling the story of these astronauts, although I thought NASA and the science piece was plenty. Like, I felt really good about it. And I can get fussy, too. If it's a book that's supposed to be set, for example, on an African safari and they never go on the African safari, I get very mad about that. This. I feel like she delivered. She delivered. I loved it. She's got one of the best. It has both. And the thing that I loved about my reading experience for this was I just vibed. I felt like I read this as a fan. I didn't read this as a podcast or reviewer, and that doesn't often happen. I'm always editorializing in my head. How would I talk about this with somebody? It's just like a nature, you know, a side effect of the jobs that we do. But I'm like, I just read this as a fan and didn't care about, you know, unpacking it. You know, I just read it and I loved it. And I read it too fast, frankly, because I feel like I just sucked this down and then it was gone and now I was sad. But anyway, I really, really enjoyed it. A great story for me, it's Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
- [50:37]
Hannah
Oh, yeah. I feel like I got got with that book because I had basically decided I wasn't going to read her anymore because I didn't love the last couple of books that I read by her. I've loved her books before. Daisy Jones and the Six is my personal favorite. But then I heard so many people talk about this one. And it's funny because it was actually the science aspect of it that was making me like, I'm not super interested in space. Like, but everybody's like, no, no, no, this is a love story. And I'm like, okay, I'll. I'll give her another shot. Because the people who know me the best have literally messaged me, including you, and been like, I know you kind of weren't going to read this, but please read it, you'll like it.
- [51:22]
Tina
I love science, specifically space. Like I love it. So I was pleased with the amount that was included.
- [51:29]
Hannah
Okay.
- [51:30]
Tina
Just as a side, I love that.
- [51:33]
Hannah
Okay. My next one is Happy Land by Dolan Perkins Valdez, and I was expecting to love this one, but I wasn't expecting it to end up being a favorite and I just really, really enjoyed this. It's set in North Carolina and I obviously have a soft place in my heart for North Carolina because I lived there for a while and it has the hidden family legacy and the family story. And it also had a mystery to unravel here and had self exploration. And I felt like even though the book was doing a lot, it was another one of those instances where it was done really well and everything tied together so beautifully at the end. And I also just thought that it talked about a really unique part of black history in America that I hadn't heard talked about before, of these pieces of land that were built by formerly enslaved people and the real estate problem that that has been, especially in obviously especially in the south, but especially in North Carolina specifically. And so it kind of sent me on a Google rabbit trail after which I always love when that happens. And I ended up loving this one even more than I thought that I was going to. So that was a great surprise. And that is Happy Land by Dolan Perkins Valdez.
- [52:56]
Tina
I just realized I don't have my number three in front of me, but that is okay. It is Bat Eater and other names for Corozang. You've heard me talk about this before if you follow me online at all. This is is horror for sure. It's about a crime scene cleaner who starts to realize that Asian American women are being targeted and she finds bats at the scenes of the crime. And then she begins to worry that she is next. What I loved about this is it balanced perfectly the horror aspect and the social commentary. You get both. And I just thought the author did such a fantastic job crafting this story. This one also could have easily won my award for most original because it was very original. And one of the opening scene for this one is so graphic and shocking that I won't forget it soon. And I think if you are someone that likes social horror, this is a must read. I really. What did Leanne say at Mood Reader Happy Hour? She said she didn't necessarily enjoy reading it, but she respected it. Is that what it was? Yes.
- [54:01]
Hannah
Yeah, I don't remember the exact words she used either. But it was so well put. And that was kind of the premise of what she said. She was like, I wouldn't say that I enjoyed reading this, but I appreciated.
- [54:12]
Tina
It, I think essentially. And that's sort of how I feel about this. I actually really did enjoy it because I love a ghoulish horror story. But also it was really tough to read and not without its gut punches. So I thought this one was fantastically written. It is. Bat Eater and Other Names for Korzhaeng by Kylie Lee Baker.
- [54:30]
Hannah
I love how often you say the word ghoul.
- [54:32]
Tina
Ghoul. I love a ghoul. I'm a ghoul. It's like. I like it because it's like a. It's not offensive. It's, you know, it's kind of silly. But you still understand what it means.
- [54:43]
Hannah
Exactly. No, I. I love it too. It's a perfect word. And a perfect word to describe the kind of books that we like too.
- [54:50]
Tina
Right. Because we're ghouls.
- [54:52]
Hannah
Because we're ghouls. Well, I am not bringing a ghoul book. Book next. I'm bringing a gargoyle one. And you know, and that's the Night and the Moth by Rachel Gillig. I am just as surprised, actually. I don't think anybody else is surprised that it.
- [55:07]
Tina
I'm surprised. I. Well, I did see you post about it a fair amount, but I didn't know if it was just because you had recently read it. But I'm really, really glad that you are going back to your fantasy roots.
- [55:18]
Hannah
Yes, my ruts, as us Michiganders would say, I. Oh, not Michiganders, but Midwesterners. I'm used to saying Michigander, but I am wondering if this isn't recency bias. So we will see by the end of the year. But I do think that part of why I just love this one so much is, to your point, really going back to my roots, reminding myself why and how I fell in love with reading in the first place. Which is exactly for books like this. This is a romantic fantasy that had just an incredible cast of characters. It has a Motley Crue. It has a non human side character that I loved. It's something that I just love in fantasy. In particular, I thought that the world building was great. I loved the romance. I just closed that book and was like, I need the next book and I'm not a series reader and I needed the next book. And so that feeling was like, oh, this is why I love reading. This wasn't Even a masterpiece. This wasn't, you know, some literary award winning book. It just reminded me why I love reading and I love that feeling. And that was the Night in the Moth by Rachel Gillig.
- [56:32]
Tina
Remind me, is the second book out yet?
- [56:34]
Hannah
No, it just. The first book just came out in May. Like the beginning of May.
- [56:38]
Tina
No. Oh, gosh.
- [56:40]
Hannah
But she has. Oh, gosh. But she has a duology that is fully released and I'm going to make my way to those next in the meantime.
- [56:50]
Tina
As you should. As you should. All right, we're in top two territory. And my number two is Broken country by Claire Leslie Hall. I loved this book. What?
- [57:02]
Hannah
I like that. I'm just gasping.
- [57:03]
Tina
Oh.
- [57:04]
Hannah
Because I just love talking about books.
- [57:05]
Tina
Oh. I was like.
- [57:06]
Hannah
What?
- [57:06]
Tina
I was like, you didn't. Did you read this one? I don't think so.
- [57:09]
Hannah
No, I did.
- [57:09]
Tina
Okay. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Broken Country. Gosh, I love this book. Shut up. I mean, obviously I keep saying that, but I just really am such a fan of all of these stories. This is, gosh, I would almost call it historical fiction. But it really doesn't matter when it takes place because what you're going to fall in love with, if you like this story is the characters. It's basically a love triangle. And characters that live on and farms have a long history and you come to find out how they're connected and why that's important. I loved this one. I thought it had really, really good pacing. It's historical fiction and even looking at the COVID you might think it might be slower. No, it's not slow. I didn't think it was slow at all. I loved reading about these characters. Did I love each and every character? No. But I didn't care because I had to see what was going to happen to them. This was a fantastic book and now I'm tempted to read more of hers. I know she has other ones that are being re released, so now I'm very curious about her backlist, but this one's Broken country by Claire Leslie Hall.
- [58:16]
Hannah
Oh, I didn't know that she had a backlist. That people are re people. Publishers are random.
- [58:23]
Tina
Folks are just re releasing them. Yeah.
- [58:25]
Hannah
That is exciting. I love that. Okay. My number two is Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash. This is what I mean by like a lot of my favorites I read kind of recently. So you've all heard me recently talk about these books. So I do apologize. But this really surprised me as well. I was not expecting to love it as much as I did. It had such a good backdrop set in the 1990s against the. The satanic panic. And it's a murder mystery. It's got queer love. There's courtro drama and family drama. And it all wrapped up so well, too, in a way that, again, wasn't necessarily like, oh, I loved that, but I really appreciated it and it made sense. It just felt like really smart, thoughtful, and intentional writing. And I never hear anybody talking about this book, which is, I feel like partially why I want to be such an evangelist for it, because it only has. Has, like, just over 4,000 ratings on Goodreads, so. And it. And it came out in 2024, so it really has not had that much readership. And if you enjoy crime fiction, mysteries, family stories, historical fiction, I feel like it would just fall under so many different people's wheelhouses and tastes, and I want more people to read it. And that's Rainbow Black by Maggie Crash.
- [59:51]
Tina
Good job on that one. That does sound incredible. Of course, I'm like, I need to add that to my list. Like, yes, all of these I'm going to want to read at some point.
- [60:01]
Hannah
One day we'll have to do an episode where we read books.
- [60:04]
Tina
We do. We've got to do that. Yeah.
- [60:06]
Hannah
Like a year later, year down the.
- [60:07]
Tina
Road, a year later, how did we think? And then maybe we get into, like, fistfights, you know what I mean? Over the airwaves. Because if we disagree, we're gonna have to come to blows. But getting on that. Oh, my God, are we at number one? We're at number one. All right. You briefly mentioned it. My number one. Of course, you guys knew it was gonna be this. It's Wild Dark shore by Charlotte McConaughey. I love this book. I feel like she's an author that writes books specifically for me. And I know everyone loves this book, so obviously it's. I'm not alone in this. It's just whatever blend of character driven, plot, rumination, environmental writing she uses is the perfect alchemy for me. I just love this book. I read it when I was on a flight and sometimes I do this. If I'm reading a book in print, I'll write where I read it. Flight to and from Florida in January 2025. Yes. I. I just love this book. I. I really did. I want to read it. In fact, I think I am, before the end of the year, going to read it again. And I'll do the audio this time because I didn't get to experience it that way the first time. We have never had more discussion this is the. We've been doing our community reads for, I think up coming up on three years. This was the book that was the most discussed. People had the most to say in our discord about this. When I tell you I was flying, going to the airport to get on that flight, and it was flooded, people were just. I mean, I couldn't get a word in edgewise. And I loved that. That was so fun. Charlotte, keep writing, babe. I just love your books. But Anyway, my number one favorite is Charlotte McConaughey's Wild Dark Shore.
- [61:39]
Hannah
Yeah, this I honestly could have put as one of my almost made. It's as well. I actually just realized Staircase in the woods by Chuck Wendig. I don't think I mentioned that as an almost made it. That one almost made it as well. So maybe I have had more winners this year than I am giving my reading life credit for. But I'll tell you about my number one, and it's the Names by Florence Knapp. So good, so good, so original, so well written. And just the idea of a single choice impacting your life and having three different alternate timelines shaped by one choice and how that choice would have made your life different. And I've heard some people, people say they were expecting this to be more literary. I actually really liked that it was very accessible and propulsive because I feel like I want more people to read this. And it wasn't hard to read. Like, it was just very kind of pulpy, but then had this really deep underlying theme and some darker content. And honestly, those are some of my favorite types of books to read that are. Are really accessible, really propulsive, but then also explore these really deep themes that will have you ruminating and thinking and reflecting for a long time. And this one did that for me. And I still need to go back and annotate it. I marked the pages. This is one of the only books that I have read solely in print this year because I read it ahead of its release. And it also made me really want to prioritize reading in print more for the rest of the year. I know again, I haven't done it, but I'm determined to find a time like a window of time in my life when I can sit down with a book that's my main. My main struggle. But I need to sit down with this one and go through all of the tabs and bookmarks that I've put in it and actually write down my thoughts still. But loved this one. That was the Names by Florence Knapp.
- [63:39]
Tina
If you do that and you go back. Can you record it? Because I want to see your process. Or at least record like a moment of it. Not the whole thing. Just a. Mom, let me see a little bit of it.
- [63:48]
Hannah
It.
- [63:49]
Tina
I need to do the same. I. I actually was flipping through this and I did. I, like, highlighted a bunch, or I should say, I like, wrote down a bunch and then I flipped corners. So I need to do the same. I need to go back in and finish that out somehow. We need to prioritize that together. Maybe we have a working meeting when really the working is just annotating our books together. You know what I mean? Something like that.
- [64:12]
Hannah
Maybe we do a. Since we have a YouTube channel now, maybe for patrons, we could do some live reading and annotating sprints once a month, because then we could actually get our stuff done and also do some extra work. This is why I work smarter, not harder.
- [64:29]
Tina
Work smarter, not harder. This is why I love working with you. I have had such a good time talking books this. This morning.
- [64:35]
Hannah
Me too.
- [64:36]
Tina
Yeah, this was a really good way to start my day. I do want to tell you, I just finished SA Cosby's book literally moments ago. But I'll tell you about the book that I will be finished, or picking up rather, this afternoon. It's Sky Daddy Baby by Kate Folk. And this is going to be very different. It is a novel about a woman that is sexually attracted to airplanes, and her biggest goal in life is to go down and crash in one, essentially for the ultimate consummating of her love for airplanes. But I think really, too, I've heard from so many people that this is also really heartfelt. And it's a story about this quirky woman who just wants to be accepted. And I can vibe with that. So, yeah, say less. I will let you know how this ends up. It's Sky Daddy by Kate Folk.
- [65:23]
Hannah
I am really excited to hear you talk about that one. My next one I'm nervous about, and it's the Odyssey by Laura Williams. So I heard this one recommended by Nicole on TikTok. I will put her in the show notes. I've mentioned her on the podcast before. She reads a lot of weird horror literary books and her recommendations are so good. But this one has a 3.07 rating on Goodreads.
- [65:55]
Tina
Whoa.
- [65:56]
Hannah
So it's pretty low, but it's also only like 230 pages.
- [66:01]
Tina
Okay, there you go.
- [66:03]
Hannah
I'm planning on just sitting down with this one and seeing whether it deserves those low ratings or if Nicole is Right. That it's worth the read. But this one is pitched as a funny and slightly poignant new satire on modern life for fans of Sally Rooney, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Convenience Store Woman. It's about a girl who worked on a cruise liner, which I think is an interesting concept. I just. I like the idea of following someone who works on a cruise, and I think it's her boss or someone that she works with wants her to kind of step outside of her role, and she's selected for, like, this game or this program that's going on in the cruise. That's all I know. Sounds weird, and that's exactly why I am picking it up. And that's the Odyssey by Laura Williams.
- [66:57]
Tina
I was just gonna say sounds weird. I'm in because I love it.
- [67:01]
Hannah
And that can be like a total, like, didn't work. Or it can be like, this is really weird. And I loved it. And I never know. You never know, right? You just got to take the risk. So I'm taking the risk with this one.
- [67:13]
Tina
You're taking the risk. All right.
- [67:16]
Hannah
All right.
- [67:16]
Tina
Well, that's it for today. We thank you for spending a part of your day with us. Links to all the books mentioned can be found in the show notes. And if you enjoyed today's episode, you can help us by following wherever you listen and by leaving a review on Apple Podcast. It helps us get our show out to new listeners and grows our audience. And don't forget, if you'd like access to exclusive bonus content in community, such as the journaling sprints we talked about, such as some of the other things we spoke about, please join us for $5 a month on patreon.com booktalk Etc.
- [67:46]
Hannah
And if you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also connect with us both @booktok Etc. On Instagram and YouTube team, Tina @tbr Etc. And Hannah @handpickedbooks. Talk to you next week. In the meantime, remember, everything's better with books. My God, it's pouring outside.
- [68:11]
Tina
Oh, really? Without being. We had the weird weather.
- [68:15]
Hannah
Yes.
- [68:16]
Tina
No, the day before. It kept pouring, pouring rain, and then it was dry as a bone. I was like, this is strange.
- [68:21]
Hannah
Yeah. You know what it was reminiscent of is that's how it's like in. In the South.
- [68:26]
Tina
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. John was like, we live in the tropics now.